BetterWithCheddar

I'm surprised we don't hear about more issues with the YMCA. Perhaps my BSA training has made me hypersensitive to compromising situations. When taking my son to swim lessons, I skip the family changing area and opt for the men's room where they still have a dedicated wing for parents of young children. The locker room is partitioned for privacy (seriously, it's like a maze), but that also would make it difficult for a staff member or well-meaning bystander to intervene if they saw inappropriate activities. We always try to get in and out as fast as possible (you can shower at home, kid).

It looks like this ill-fated program was rolled-out during my 15-year Scouting hiatus between the time I worked at my local council camp in college and when my son was old enough to join Cub Scouts. I'm guessing the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis put an emphasis on marketable degrees and the BSA (already suffering from membership declines), tried to prop themselves up by attaching themselves to the STEM movement? And people actually voted to turn Scouts into night school? 😂

@fred8033, one of the first Google hits I came across suggested that Girl Scout membership declined from 2.8 million in 2003 to ~1 million in 2021. This would be a point-to point decrease of ~65% over an 18-year span. According to a table I pulled from Wikipedia, BSA membership went from 3.2 million in 2003 to ~1 million in 2021. This would be a point-to point decrease of ~69% over the same period. While some of the BSA's issues have been self-inflicted, I do think the membership challenges are part of a larger societal trend - kids just have a lot more choices these days (and that's

@jumpingjoj, I'm not too familiar with the bankruptcy process. How exactly did a scout leader get roped into this? Aside from someone getting physically hurt under my charge, this is pretty much my worst nightmare as a scout volunteer. Unless the accused wanted to lawyer-up to clear their name (with a limited success rate and drawing more attention to themselves in the process), their efforts may be better spent elsewhere. We're only given so much time on this Earth - why spend it on an organization that would turn on them so quickly?

To that end, I'd suggest looking at how many scouts have been active up to high school (regardless of rank). If a scout has been in the program for 3-4 years, they've likely 1) enjoyed themselves and 2) absorbed most of the lessons the program offers.

I'm on board with the "vote with your feet" theory. Strong troops will have an incoming new scout patrol every year with a few active parents to offset the natural attrition of kids hitting high school or otherwise aging out of the program. A strong troop can survive a "weak class" of scouts and parents, but can be derailed if they onboard 2 or 3 consecutive weak classes. A low number of incoming Scouts vs. prior years doesn't necessarily translate to a weak class if the scouts are well-behaved and the parents are willing helpers. Rather, the pitfall comes when troops onboard multiple sco

I would say an adult leader meeting or online forum dedicated to "issues and politics" are acceptable places to discuss membership changes, whereas your child's Pinewood Derby or Blue and Gold Banquet are not. Again, I'm generally onboard with the recent membership changes. I'm not suggesting the presence of girls or LGBT youth in Scouting is bad, unwanted, or antithetical to the aims of the organization. Change takes time. The BSA doesn't exactly have a great reputation for change management.

@qwazse, I see where you're coming from. I've only returned to Scouting as a parent for the past 2 years. Everything is expensive today except Little Caesar's.

I'm suggesting it's OK for adults to express reservations about membership changes online or in a Zoom meeting, provided it's done in a tactful manner. There is no need to "crack down" on them unless their comments target specific youth members or are deliberately hurtful. If you feel a youth in your area has been treated unfairly, by all means intervene on their behalf. Scouting would not exist in some communities today were it not for some of these "old school" scout leaders. Change takes time and I'm not sure you can get there by extinguishing dissent.

Change takes time. If you want people to embrace it, they need to feel like they have some control over their change. In the long run, it's better to earn respect than have it legislated. As a teenager, I thought homosexuality was a morally grey area - then I actually met a few gay people and realized "oh, if so and so is gay, it can't be that bad." A few years ago, I hired someone who happened to be gay. They turned out to be the best direct report I've ever had. My opinion of them is sky high. Today, I would wear a rainbow t-shirt and march in a parade with them if they asked. Had

My favorite events are ones where I can just show up with my son and be a dad. I would gladly pay more in fees if it resulted in better, more frequent program opportunities at the council and district levels (unclear if that's the case). I'm a pretty frugal guy with a regular job and $165 doesn't seem that ridiculous by today's standards. Anyone else ashamed to admit what they spend on youth sports or their pets? 🙂

Gosh, re-reading this thread 2 years later brings up some strong opinions: 1) I can sympathize to some degree because I've got a 1st grader who doesn't like going to school because of a few peers who play rough at recess. We've expressed some concerns, but have been rebuffed. I'm not sure I can tell him to stand up for himself because as soon he's seen pushing another kid, it would be our luck that the playground supervisors FINALLY assert themselves and he winds up labeled as the aggressor. 2) An adult bullying a child over the color of their t-shirt is definitely not OK, but if a

I'll admit the egg hunt is a bit outside the box, but I would imagine adults only fundraisers are common in most councils. Golf outings or wine tastings have obvious appeal to parents. Mom and Dad have money. Kids don't. 😛

I think what @Mrjeffmay be hinting at is that if you disagree with some elements of a DE&I initiative and voice your concerns in a tactful manner, you still risk being labeled the "worst type of person imaginable." There is no room for discourse in some public spaces and I find that scary. As a moderate conservative myself, I share some of his concerns (and wouldn't mind engaging in productive discussion around the others). Ultimately, it probably behooves us all to be 10% kinder and 10% more understanding (and maybe to love one another ... where have I heard that before? 😉) Even

Welcome @niagarafalls! Scouting and Sports don't have to be a mutually exclusive (although I understand hockey to be a totally different animal). Unlike youth sports, it's OK to take a break from Scouting for a full season. If the BSA is going to survive, it needs to be OK being every kid's second favorite activity. Missing a Cub Scout Pack or Den meeting is inconsequential, IMHO. Provide the parents with the rank requirements that were missed and ask them to complete them at home on a best-efforts basis. It gets a little trickier in middle school and high school because a Scout